Mountain Biking - Day 1 of Bike Theft Sting

So I have an old mountain bike that I dont ride anymore. It was cheap, I paid $200 for it brand new. Last night I was watching the show COPS and they were doing one of their bait bike stings. My dad and I made a bet on how long it would take a bike to get stolen outside of my house. I live in a nice, fairly wealthy nieghboorhood. Starting tonight I am going to put the bike on my front lawn and see if it gets stolen. My dad says it will take more than 8 days to get stolen and I say 3 days. I have set up a video camera to record when and who takes it. I decided not to report it to the police since it is for a bet and I dont really mind if the bike gets stolen, maybe the person will enjoy it, lol. HOWEVER, I decided that I will post the video on the internet to emabarras the person who does steal it....if it is ever stolen. Anyone want to place bets on how long it will take ??

may i ask where you live?

remember you will be taped....

torrance, california

theres going to be a video camera somewhere, i'll throw rocks at it :D and i dont care if i get embarassed... i'll flip the bird and hang my ass out of my pants as im taking the bike.

Where I live mine got stolen in ten minutes off of my porch with the light on and I was on the other side of the door.

Kinda sucks figuring I only had it for three days.

So I give you two days.

Set up a simple circuit so that when someone takes the bike, something happens, like...oh I don't know a siren turns on? It would make for good comedy.

That's a brilliant idea. Yeah, a siren and a flashing light behind a bush would be great.

I had mine locked up outside my girlfriend's apartment for one night. I came out in the morning at it was still there. I went back inside and made breakfast. By the time we were ready to head out it was gone, lock and all.

We are no longer together...

Where I live mine got stolen in ten minutes off of my porch with the light on and I was on the other side of the door.

Kinda sucks figuring I only had it for three days.

So I give you two days.
where i live, people just push you off the bike and jack it in your face

jk i would kick them in the nuts and wheelie off

I almost had my beater bike stolen yesterday.

Was up in St. Petersburg while my wife was participating in the 3-Day Breast Cancer Awareness walk. Her and her team-mates needed some caffein when they finished, so I rode up to the nearest convenience store and bought them some sodas. Didn't bother to lock up my bike. As I left the store, I found two guys standing next to my bike eyeing it. I shot them a nasty look and got on!

It only takes a minute for a bike to go bye-bye!

I give it two nights MAX!

at the bike shop i work at, were not sure, but this morning, the door was open, and the kona stinky we have, gone, i closed last night and all the doors were closed and locked, and they think i left a door open, in a few hours i have to go down to my work and talk to the boss, im pretty scared, because i know i had everything closed, and i dont want to pay for the damn thing, i didnt take it and it wasnt my fault, i dont know what to do

What kind of a bike is it? there's a BF member in Riverside who got his Hardrock stolen. He's about 6 feet tall. Maybe you could donate it to him.

How much you wanna bet, they leave the bike and steal the camera!

the camera is inside the house. if they try to steal that then they will be met with the working end of a 12ga. The bike is a Raliegh and it is old and beat up so i dont think anyone who was really into bikes would want it

So you're doing this to prove what?

It sounds more like entrapment, actually tempting someone to do something illegal, perhaps its something he would have never thought of doing until you baited a trap.

Don't think you'll prove anything other than the fact that you can't afford to pay a garbage man to take your junk to the dump.

jack it in your face

i'd hate to live where you do. that's just nasty.

It sounds more like entrapment, actually tempting someone to do something illegal, perhaps its something he would have never thought of doing until you baited a trap.

Canada and the US have different legal definitions of entrapment. Either way, since whoever steals this bike will not end up in court (for this offence anyways), it's a moot point.


I have to admit to recommending theft as a disposal method for FUBAR bikes in the past.

Canada and the US have different legal definitions of entrapment. Either way, since whoever steals this bike will not end up in court (for this offence anyways), it's a moot point.


I have to admit to recommending theft as a disposal method for FUBAR bikes in the past.

Call it a sting, then...

Anyway, in Toronto we paint our junk bikes white and chain them as memorials at fatal bike accident locations. Much more meanigfull than flowers

a Toronto Ghost Bike:

Call it a sting, then...

Anyway, in Toronto we paint our junk bikes white and chain them as memorials at fatal bike accident locations. Much more meanigfull than flowers

a Toronto Ghost Bike:

Thats a good idea. How long do the bike stay there before the authorities take them?

Thats a good idea. How long do the bike stay there before the authorities take them?

Why would the authorities take them? They're a shrine.

I dont know. Around here, especially on campus, if a bike is there for a long time, they'll put a notice on it. The notice says that if its your bike, you need to move it. Then they give you a period of time. Then they cut the chain and take the bike. Once or twice a year, there is an auction for these bikes. I have yet to go. There probably mostly department store bikes.

They'll probably flaten your tires instead of stealing it. Thats what happend to me sort of, I loked my bike to a fence (it only cost $300) and somebody tried to steal it, after they gave up and sliced my tires, fukind idiots.(I live in Toronto so many steal bikes here)

So you're doing this to prove what?

It sounds more like entrapment, actually tempting someone to do something illegal, perhaps its something he would have never thought of doing until you baited a trap.

Don't think you'll prove anything other than the fact that you can't afford to pay a garbage man to take your junk to the dump.

I am doing this as a bet with my dad and also out of curiosity. Call it a sociology experiminet. Maybe the results will be able to prove something ? Also, we in America arent as enlightened as you Canadian folk but we do know the difference between self control and entrapment. Just because a bicycle is sitting on someones private property doesnt mean its okay to steal it. However, dont get your panties in a bunch, I made it clear I am not going to report this to the police. I will on the other hand post the video on the internet to embarrass a low life thief.

where i live, people just push you off the bike and jack it in your face

jk i would kick them in the nuts and wheelie off
That has happened to me, trust me, you wouldn't kick them in the nuts and wheelie off...

I give the bike 3 days. Some degenerates stole my 1970 Schwinn Lemon Peeler from a back porch (in the early 90s) in a town of only 283 people. Although it was a cool reminder of my youth, the bike was by that point a complete junker. People will steal anything!

Just another option:
See if there is a bike co-op or inner-city development program. Donate the (i'm assuming still rideable) bike and give it a second life.

I am doing this as a bet with my dad and also out of curiosity. Call it a sociology experiminet. Maybe the results will be able to prove something ? Also, we in America arent as enlightened as you Canadian folk but we do know the difference between self control and entrapment. Just because a bicycle is sitting on someones private property doesnt mean its okay to steal it. However, dont get your panties in a bunch, I made it clear I am not going to report this to the police. I will on the other hand post the video on the internet to embarrass a low life thief.

How old are you? Perhaps you didn't notice, but a $200 bike isn't "cheap" for many people-- especially people too poor to own a bike at all.

Instead of giving your bike to one of your affluent suburban neighbors to abuse, why not act like the adult you one-day hope to be and donate it to a worthy charity?

And ask daddy to read Les Misérables (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Mis%C3%A9rables) when he tucks you into bed tonight. You'll both learn something.

That's a brilliant idea. Yeah, a siren and a flashing light behind a bush would be great.


And Ed McMahon jumping out with a giant check. "You are the one minnionth person to steal this bike!"

you should tape a note under the seat(hidden), telling the theif that he was set up + videotaped in the act.

I've seen several of these "ghost bikes" in Chicago with signs on them telling you who died, the date of the death, and how. Very sad and unfortunate.

I am doing this as a bet with my dad and also out of curiosity. Call it a sociology experiminet. Maybe the results will be able to prove something ? Also, we in America arent as enlightened as you Canadian folk but we do know the difference between self control and entrapment. Just because a bicycle is sitting on someones private property doesnt mean its okay to steal it. However, dont get your panties in a bunch, I made it clear I am not going to report this to the police. I will on the other hand post the video on the internet to embarrass a low life thief.

think that my point is that he wasn't a low-life thief until you made him one...you have no way of knowing if he has ever done this before...I suspect your real motive is to make a video to post and get your 15 minutes of fame and a good laugh at a stranger's expense. If you posted me doing this and I learned that I was set up...you could expect a brick through your window one night.

why not just get a friend to act like a thief and then you can post with a clear concience?

One thing: why the hell are people defending the thief? Thiefs = bad and evil. Bad & evil people should be jailed or in case of a serious crime, shot. :/ I don't see your logic.

think that my point is that he wasn't a low-life thief until you made him one...you have no way of knowing if he has ever done this before...I suspect your real motive is to make a video to post and get your 15 minutes of fame and a good laugh at a stranger's expense. If you posted me doing this and I learned that I was set up...you could expect a brick through your window one night.

why not just get a friend to act like a thief and then you can post with a clear concience?

I don't get your point. The person who chooses to steal the bike makes the CHOICE to do so. He lacks the self-control and the morals to realize that a bike left on someone's lawn or porch should be left alone.

You also wrote, "If you posted me doing this and I learned that I was set up...you could expect a brick through your window one night." Are you admitting that if you were faced with this situation you would steal the bike? Have you stolen bikes before?

So did you do it yet, Sunflower?

so..if he caught you stealing his bike...you'd retaliate by tossing a brick through his window?
good to see you graduated from high school

I don't get your point. The person who chooses to steal the bike makes the CHOICE to do so. He lacks the self-control and the morals to realize that a bike left on someone's lawn or porch should be left alone.

You also wrote, "If you posted me doing this and I learned that I was set up...you could expect a brick through your window one night." Are you admitting that if you were faced with this situation you would steal the bike? Have you stolen bikes before?

not defendiong a thief, but is he really a thief if you put temptation in his way and he reacts the way you intended him to react?

This stupid idea is just like puting a bottle in front of an alcoholic or candy in front of a kid.

If a person steals, then he is a thief...if he is tempted to do something that he may not normally do, then he is being set up.

Just because someone is predisposed to do something illegal, why should he be pushed into doing it?...like all of the people here who post from work...not only are they stealing their pay for work not done, but stealing their employer's computer time and equipment.

Its not about stealing bikes...its the ethical and moral issues of setting people up to do bad.

Jeez...we have an agency in Toronto that is hired by suspicious wives to send out women to temp their husbands in bars...films the husbands and gives the films to the wives...OK, they break up a marriage but who knows what the husband would have done if not tempted to give in to his weakness?

Put a for sale sign on it and it will dissappear faster!

This stupid idea is just like puting a bottle in front of an alcoholic or candy in front of a kid.

If a person steals, then he is a thief...if he is tempted to do something that he may not normally do, then he is being set up.

Just because someone is predisposed to do something illegal, why should he be pushed into doing it?...like all of the people here who post from work...not only are they stealing their pay for work not done, but stealing their employer's computer time and equipment.


That's some Amazingly Flakey(TM) logic you're employing there. As they say in Oz: You get 10 points and a Skippy Badge.

First of all, alcoholism is a seriously addictive drug problem. And a kid is still learning morality. Most bike thieves are not drug addicted 12 year olds.

I've seen nice unlocked bikes outside shops- and have waited nearby until the obvious owner comes out to ride it away to make sure nobody else steals it. I don't feel "pushed" to steal it, but I sure could if I wanted to. And I might even play it out in my head just for kicks ("I wonder how far down the street I could get before the owner noticed?)

The idea of stealing computer time is also flawed. Employers can have a policy to prohibit personal net usage, but it's not a civil or criminal offence to do it. There is no 'crime' Just like the employer doesn't "own" your time, your soul or CPU cycles.

Ah, why am I even bothering to write this to someone who thinks that a "brick through the window" is rhetorical flamboyance?

To the OP: DO IT! And then post it on Youtube and let us know the URL.

not defendiong a thief, but is he really a thief if you put temptation in his way and he reacts the way you intended him to react?

This stupid idea is just like puting a bottle in front of an alcoholic or candy in front of a kid.

If a person steals, then he is a thief...if he is tempted to do something that he may not normally do, then he is being set up.

Just because someone is predisposed to do something illegal, why should he be pushed into doing it?...like all of the people here who post from work...not only are they stealing their pay for work not done, but stealing their employer's computer time and equipment.

Its not about stealing bikes...its the ethical and moral issues of setting people up to do bad.

Jeez...we have an agency in Toronto that is hired by suspicious wives to send out women to temp their husbands in bars...films the husbands and gives the films to the wives...OK, they break up a marriage but who knows what the husband would have done if not tempted to give in to his weakness?

So you equate stealing with addictive behavour? Are you a bike-thief addict? You never answered my original questions. Put in the same situation, would you steal the bike? Have you stolen bikes before?

I wanna know if the bike is still there..............

So you equate stealing with addictive behavour? Are you a bike-thief addict? You never answered my original questions. Put in the same situation, would you steal the bike? Have you stolen bikes before?

sorry if I disapoint, but I have never stolen a bike...actually, I've never stolen anything, and never have been tempted to do so

anyway...off to answer another post...

jm01 is just arguing for the sake of arguing. there is no logic even present in the argument he is posting. ignore it and run your test. or, better yet, donate the bike. this seemed like the best idea for a bike that will otherwise go to waste.

That's some Amazingly Flakey(TM) logic you're employing there. As they say in Oz: You get 10 points and a Skippy Badge.

First of all, alcoholism is a seriously addictive drug problem. And a kid is still learning morality. Most bike thieves are not drug addicted 12 year olds.

I've seen nice unlocked bikes outside shops- and have waited nearby until the obvious owner comes out to ride it away to make sure nobody else steals it. I don't feel "pushed" to steal it, but I sure could if I wanted to. And I might even play it out in my head just for kicks ("I wonder how far down the street I could get before the owner noticed?)

The idea of stealing computer time is also flawed. Employers can have a policy to prohibit personal net usage, but it's not a civil or criminal offence to do it. There is no 'crime' Just like the employer doesn't "own" your time, your soul or CPU cycles.

Ah, why am I even bothering to write this to someone who thinks that a "brick through the window" is rhetorical flamboyance?

To the OP: DO IT! And then post it on Youtube and let us know the URL.

So many points...so little thought behind them

Stealing is a major personality disorder...Kleptomania is a clinical condition, but people steal for many reasons...most not because of income shortfalls...most do it because they have an opportunity and think that they can get away with it...they do it because they can.

Stealing computer time and not working for your employer when on the clock is pure theft...you're taking money that you are not entitled to. I'm in HR and have seen many (too many) terminations because of this, I now think that most employees are ******* for not realizing this....do you think that just because YOU think that it's not theft...then it's OK to steal?

Its estimated that 17,000 bikes are stolen in Toronto annually...and I see dozens of bikes that have been stripped for parts on my daily commute...its a problem, and Sunflower is making light of it...if he was serious he would lock the $200 bike and report the theft with the video. Throwing away a $200 bike just to play a game is just as serious as stealing one...he is really "gifting" this bike to the thief by doing this.

Lastly, if anyone did this to a person who sees himself on the net stealing a "gift" bike, deserves what he gets...I used the brick through the window as an example, but a baseball bat would be more appropriate

not defendiong a thief, but is he really a thief if you put temptation in his way and he reacts the way you intended him to react?

This stupid idea is just like puting a bottle in front of an alcoholic or candy in front of a kid.

If a person steals, then he is a thief...if he is tempted to do something that he may not normally do, then he is being set up.

Just because someone is predisposed to do something illegal, why should he be pushed into doing it?...like all of the people here who post from work...not only are they stealing their pay for work not done, but stealing their employer's computer time and equipment.

Its not about stealing bikes...its the ethical and moral issues of setting people up to do bad.

Jeez...we have an agency in Toronto that is hired by suspicious wives to send out women to temp their husbands in bars...films the husbands and gives the films to the wives...OK, they break up a marriage but who knows what the husband would have done if not tempted to give in to his weakness?


i see what you're saying jm01, but in the end, it's still wrong, regardless of temptation.

you can't base it on temptation because temptation is subjective.

tell me, if you had a wife, and she was tempted by a guy working for an agency, you wouldn't be mad? if she did something with him, she cheated. that's that. people are tempted everyday, but they have a choice. if someone stole a bike because it was sitting in somebody's yard without a lock on it ... consider him/her a thief ... unless they have frontal lobe damage and have problems with choice and behaviour.

i don't care what the OP does with his bike. he can donate it, or do this experiment, it's his bike.

i see what you're saying jm01, but in the end, it's still wrong, regardless of temptation.

you can't base it on temptation because temptation is subjective.

tell me, if you had a wife, and she was tempted by a guy working for an agency, you wouldn't be mad? if she did something with him, she cheated. that's that. people are tempted everyday, but they have a choice. if someone stole a bike because it was sitting in somebody's yard without a lock on it ... consider him/her a thief ... unless they have frontal lobe damage and have problems with choice and behaviour.

i don't care what the OP does with his bike. he can donate it, or do this experiment, it's his bike.

When you put it that way, the OP is donating it to a bicycle thief.

I think the point that is being argued is that the thief is at fault, not the person who left the bike unlocked. The thief chose to steal it when it was clearly and knowingly not their property. The person who left it unlocked may be foolish, but the thief is at fault. By your argument (that leaving the bike unlocked creates a thief), all of the people who were terminated for stealing computer time would be justified and the company should be at fault for allowing them computer access. This makes no sense.

Donate the bike. Everyone is happy including some underpriviledged kid.

i see what you're saying jm01, but in the end, it's still wrong, regardless of temptation.

you can't base it on temptation because temptation is subjective.

tell me, if you had a wife, and she was tempted by a guy working for an agency, you wouldn't be mad? if she did something with him, she cheated. that's that. people are tempted everyday, but they have a choice. if someone stole a bike because it was sitting in somebody's yard without a lock on it ... consider him/her a thief ... unless they have frontal lobe damage and have problems with choice and behaviour.

i don't care what the OP does with his bike. he can donate it, or do this experiment, it's his bike.

That's the point...if the agency didn't tempt her, then there would be no problem.

I heard a story recently about a nurse who destroyed a marriage when she told the wife of a patient that was coming out of surgery that if she asked her husband a question when he was still grogy from the drugs, it would be difficult for him to lie...she asked him if he had vere cheated on her, he said yes, the rest was history.

Anyway...a thief is not a thief until he steals...by putting temptation to steal in front of someone who doesn't have your self-control would make Sunflower an accomplice to warping a previously innocent person

A larceny cherry-breaker, so to speak.

That's the point...if the agency didn't tempt her, then there would be no problem.

I heard a story recently about a nurse who destroyed a marriage when she told the wife of a patient that was coming out of surgery that if she asked her husband a question when he was still grogy from the drugs, it would be difficult for him to lie...she asked him if he had vere cheated on her, he said yes, the rest was history.

Anyway...a thief is not a thief until he steals...by putting temptation to steal in front of someone who doesn't have your self-control would make Sunflower an accomplice to warping a previously innocent person

A larceny cherry-breaker, so to speak.

So using junkyard's excellent argument, all the people who surf the web on company time had their cherry broken by their employers?

I think the point that is being argued is that the thief is at fault, not the person who left the bike unlocked. The thief chose to steal it when it was clearly and knowingly not their property. The person who left it unlocked may be foolish, but the thief is at fault. By your argument (that leaving the bike unlocked creates a thief), all of the people who were terminated for stealing computer time would be justified and the company should be at fault for allowing them computer access. This makes no sense.

Donate the bike. Everyone is happy including some underpriviledged kid.

no my argument is that by knowingly leaving a bike unlocked UNTIL it is stolen may catch the wrong person...if you want to catch a thief, lock the bike, make your video, take it to the cops...life is not a game.

Secondly, i don't unerstand your point about computer time. The realtionship between an employer and employee is one based on trust...each party has certain responsibilities, and labour law is there to ensure that each plays their part. Didn't Wal-Mart just get hit with a huge fine for forcing their associates to work off the clock and through their breaks without pay...same thing applies here.

Employees must have access to computers to fulfill their part of the relationship...TO DO THE JOB THEY"RE BEING PAID TO DO...are you saying that its the company's fault that they abuse this trust and steal not only the company resources but their money as well by placing their trust in these scum sucking employees?